MBA..............a liability?

You went to college for 4 (or however many) years and earned your bachelor's degree. And at some point later you decided you wanted to advance your education so you went back to school and earned an MBA. The reasons why you wanted to continue your education and the degree chosen can be vast. Maybe you wanted to change your field or you wanted to diversify your knowledge base. Maybe your current job requires you to have a higher level of education or some certification, a requirement which you are now getting a chance to fulfill. Or maybe, just maybe, you are one of those people who just likes the process of learning and educating yourself. Maybe the MBA was more palatable for you than obtaining a more specialized degree because you believed it would give you more diverse options should you try to pursue a different career field at some time or because the courses were not so content intense in any one area. Whatever your reason for getting that MBA you chose to do it and do it you did.

Now in 2010 you are looking for a new job. You've update your resume and started looking for that new career or next level in your chosen field. But wait a minute. What is that I'm hearing? "Maybe I should take the MBA off my resume"? What? Did you hear that correctly? Well, yes you did. Unfortunately that is the going trend or maybe trend is the wrong word. Maybe it's more of a necessity.

This writer has recently been told, on more than one occasion, that potential employers are 'hinting to' applicants that it might be best if they removed the MBA degree from their resumes. As a matter of fact I personally know of one who did in order to get the job. The applicant had already been interviewed and given a verbal offer but was told to resubmit her resume without the MBA before receiving the written offer. Shocking, isn't it. Well, unfortunately it is more the norm than not. Just today I saw a job announcement for a Business Analyst in a media company that implied what a high level position the job would be, reporting directly to the EVP, with responsibility to "....assist with both the development and evolution of the long term company strategy..." with requirements that included a GPA of 3.5 or higher and combined SAT score of more than 1400. Wow! They really want a 'SOMEBODY' in that position; a mover and a shaker. Oh yes, I forgot. It did specify PRE-MBA only (and yes the PRE was in bold). Say what? They want all that and a bag of chips but won't take someone with a MBA.

Well folks, the writing's on the wall. It's all about 'the Benjamin's'. It's all about the money. They want someone who CAN do it all........they just really don't want to have to pay you for all you've done, like upgrading your education. That almost sounds hypocritical. Be the best but we can only pay you like second best or less, is the message I'm hearing. Yes, in today's society for today's job hunters, a MBA is a liability.

How do you handle that?

Well, truth be told, you do what you have to do to get the job. Most job seekers nowadays, the ones who have been laid off, really need a job and are really anxious to get back to work. So if getting the job is that important to you (and I'm sure it is to most people) and you are comfortable removing the MBA from your resume, do so. While it might be emotionally or mentally painful, it accomplishes your goal in the long run. On the other hand you worked hard for that degree. You earned it and you deserve it and who's to say what salary you're willing to take for a job that you really one. Even minimum wage workers want more money.

Maybe instead of minimizing your accomplishments for a company you should find a company who wants you and all the accomplishments that come with you. Or maybe it's the businesses that need to take the time to actually interview a person, to find out about the person's actual work experience and the character of the person instead of looking at what advanced degrees they have or have not achieved. Then maybe they'll find out that some people's ideals extend beyond simply money and that some people just want to make a difference.